China

With the UK now less attractive to EU students, British universities have successfully pivoted to the Anglophone world and Asia, writes Ros Taylor. But in an increasingly fearful and isolationist world, this strategy is risky.

The aggravating climate crisis has made the implementation of the Paris Agreement a central issue in German and European foreign policy. Nevertheless, the integration of climate and foreign policy is still fraught with uncertainties, both in its geostrategic and in its operational dimension. The 22nd Foreign Policy Conference of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung will focus on current debates at the intersection of foreign and climate policy and assess the prospects for a new carbon-neutral foreign policy.

Brussels and Beijing are entering a new phase in their climate relations. Gone are the days when the EU and China were only climate partners. Now Brussels would be well-served to compete and spur China on when it comes to climate protection.

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act aims to regulate emerging applications of AI in accordance with “EU values”. But for the most concerning of all such potential applications, the line between regulation and prohibition can be a tricky one to draw.

Migration policy, economic and trade policy, health policy, technology policy, and climate policy are increasingly being thought of in terms of “security”.

Largely bypassing EU institutions and national governments, China has steadily expanded its ties at the subnational level. China uses the subnational level to increase its influence, advance its strategic economic and political interests. European subnational actors that hope to benefit from Chinese investments, R&D cooperation, and cultural exchanges also face risks with regard to growing economic dependency, industrial espionage, technology transfer, and increasing political pressure and disinformation. These risks are compounded by Europe’s several weak spots when it comes to subnational relations with China.

Global climate policy is the subject of multiple announcements put to the test over the course of these two weeks of COP26. Between the countries that have established carbon neutrality targets for 2050 (the United States and the European Union) and those looking to 2060 or further instead (Russia, China, India), the major challenge lies not in the deadlines, but in the translation of these dramatic promises into concrete actions.

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will kick off in October 2021 in Kunming, China. What is the importance of biodiversity in China and what are the Chinese government's goals for COP 15? Lili Fuhr, Head of the International Environmental Policy Division, spoke with our Beijing Office Director, Paul Kohlenberg.

The world’s meat production has grown rapidly, fed by rising demand and made possible by technological advances in livestock farming. But this has had serious consequences for animal welfare and small-scale producers.